A Brief History of the United States
The experience of all teachers testifies to the lamentable deficiency in historical knowledge among their pupils; not that children dislike the incidents and events of history, for, indeed, they prefer them to the improbable tales which now form the bulk of their reading, but because the books are "dry." Those which are interesting are apt to be lengthy, and the mind consequently becomes confused by the multitude of details, while the brief ones often contain merely the dry bones of fact, uninviting and unreal. An attractive book which can be mastered in a single term, is the necessity of our schools. The present work is an attempt to meet this want in American histories. In its preparation there has been an endeavor to develop the following principles: 1. To precede each Epoch by questions and a map, so that the pupil may become familiar with the location of the places named in the history he is about to study. 2. To select only the most important events for the body of the text, and then, by foot-notes, to give explanations, illustrations, minor events, anecdotes, &c.
"Fairly so, although I don't make as much money as some of the hotel men
in the big cities. But then they take larger risks. A few years ago a
hotel friend of mine opened a big hotel in Atlantic City. He hoped to
make a small fortune, but he was not located in the right part of the
town and at the end of the season he found himself just fifteen thousand
dollars out of pocket. Now he has sold out and is running a country
hotel fifty miles west of here. He doesn't hope to make so much, but his
business is much safer."
"I'm afraid it will be a long time before I get money enough to run a
hotel," laughed our hero.
"Would you like to run one?"
"I don't know. I'd like to educate myself first."
"Don't you study some now? I have seen you with some arithmetics and
histories."
"Yes, sir, I study a little every day. You see, I never had much
schooling, and I don't want to grow up ignorant, if I can help it."
"That is the proper spirit, lad," answered Andrew Mallison, warmly.
"Learn all you possibly can. It will always be the means of doing you
good."
The experience of all teachers testifies to the lamentable deficiency in historical knowledge among their pupils; not that children dislike the incidents and events of history, for, indeed, they prefer them to the improbable tales which now form the bulk of their reading, but because the books are "dry." Those which are interesting are apt to be lengthy, and the mind consequently becomes confused by the multitude of details, while the brief ones often contain merely the dry bones of fact, uninviting and unreal. An attractive book which can be mastered in a single term, is the necessity of our schools. The present work is an attempt to meet this want in American histories. In its preparation there has been an endeavor to develop the following principles: 1. To precede each Epoch by questions and a map, so that the pupil may become familiar with the location of the places named in the history he is about to study. 2. To select only the most important events for the body of the text, and then, by foot-notes, to give explanations, illustrations, minor events, anecdotes, &c.